juerything changed after the 1967 war when israel bec the new religion of american jews. after its lightning ctory, washington upgraded israel's status to a strategic american asset. jewish support for israel no ngerthreatened to -- [inaudible] dual loyalty. on the contrary, it now connoted super loyalty as american jews defended on the front lines american interests against the communist third world arab hordes. the jewish state's martial prowess became a source of pride for jews for whom at that time the primary associatn of the nazi holocaust -- to the extent that it trillionerred any association -- triggered any association, was of j well,ews g like sheep to slaughter. the imageisra projected of itself alsoesonated with the st liberalism of american -- [inaudible] like the pioneers conquering the american wilderness, israel had made the desert bloom, was the only democracy in the middle east. it was t light unto the nations. it was home to the microutopia of the -- [inaudible] in the past three years -- excuse me, in the past three decades, however, the uplifting imag